Australians keep being told we need more homes. The government's own advisers have explained several things standing in the way.
In February 2025, the Productivity Commission identified slow approvals, building rules, workforce barriers and obstacles to new building methods as areas needing reform. Its research found physical output per hour had roughly halved since 1995. A separate measure allowing for changes in home size and quality showed a smaller, but still serious, productivity decline. (Productivity Commission)
The point is not to blame workers. It is to ask why the system makes delivering homes so difficult.
The Commission returned to the issue in July 2026. Its housing regulation inquiry highlighted land-use controls and infrastructure coordination as major opportunities. Its final report is due in March 2027. The July document is interim work, not a final list of recommendations governments have already rejected. (Productivity Commission)
Governments cannot fairly be accused of doing nothing. In October, housing and building ministers announced work to simplify the National Construction Code, reduce inconsistent rules and support new construction methods. (Treasury)
But an agreement to pursue reform is the beginning of the job.
Which rule has changed? When did it take effect? How many approval steps disappeared? How long does an ordinary application take now? Has the cost of delivering a home fallen?
Those are fair questions for federal, state and local governments. Responsibility differs: Canberra influences funding, tax and national coordination; states and councils control much of planning and development assessment.
There are practical reasons reform can take time. Agencies must coordinate, infrastructure must be funded and building safety must be protected. But each delay should have a named reason and a delivery date. Otherwise, responsibility can disappear between departments.
My view is simple: publish the recommendations, the response, the responsible minister and the results together. Show us which barriers have gone and which remain.
Families cannot move into a progress report. The test is what changed on the ground.